Process for manufacturing headers for water-tube boilers.



G. P. HIGGINS. PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING HEADERS FOR WATER TUBE BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1908,

Patented June 10, 1913.

4 SEEETSr-BBEBT 1.

p i 410 ATTORNEY WITNESSES" O. P. HIGGINS. NUFAGTURING HEADERS FOR WATER TUBE BOI LERS,

PROCESS FOR. MA

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1908.

Patented June 10, 1913.

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Patented June 10, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

C. P. HIGGINS. rnocnss FOB. MANUFAQTUBING HEADERS r011 WATER TUBE B APYLIOLTION FILED MAR. 23, 1906. 1,064,217.

INVENTOR fiza ial/fwyn'm ATTORNEY vd J J TUBE BOILERS.

Paiented June 10, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTOR O. P. HIGGINS. PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING HEADERS FOR WATER H in A '0 all/whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-.CAMPBELL P. HIGGINS, OF ROSELLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BA BCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW! JERSEY, A CORPORATION. OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS FOR. mANUFAc'Tunms HEADERS FOB WATER-TUBE BOILERS.-

Patented June 10, 1913.

Application filed March 23,1908. Serial No. 422,595.

Be it known that I, CAMPBELL P. Hid

; -on\'- s, a citizen of the United States/and a resident of Roselle, in the county of Union new andImproved'Process for Manufactun 'and State of New Jersey, have invented a' On the 14th day of June, 1910, patents,

forforming seamless tubes, Nos. 901,128;

061,129; 961430; 961131; 961,132, and

- By the present application I desire to se cure the process involved in the manufacture of wrought metal boiler headers.

- In the method of manufacture which has survived for many years past, headers of this class have been welded; that is to say,

have contained a welded seam extendin ing employed in the make up of the header.

heretofore been to fold a-blank around a "mandrel until its edges lap; then to weld The preferred process of manufacture has the lapped edges together into a welded seam extending from end to end then, af-

ter it has been staggered, to insert a piece in welded closure at each end.

"the axes of the hand holes.

drawing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the hand hole side of my new.

water .tube .boiler header complete in its .preferred form. opposite side thereof.

Fig. 2 is a view of the Fig. 2 is an edge 'weregra11ted tome as follows: for machine "longitudinally from end to endfof the header and each end of the headerhas containeda welded closure; three separate pieces beeach end and weld itso as to produce the.

view. partly in section in a plane through Figs. 3 to 11 inclusive, are longitudinal sections showing the development, while hot, of my new art lcl'e' through the various changes of form without substantial thinning from the flat disk to the weldless pocketor tube having one end closed which is ready to be made into the finished header by lateral pressure when hot. Fig. 12 is a longitudi- 11.11 section of the multiple plunger of the m iltipledic (shown in Patent No. 961,129) of the first press, by which the transformatren's, represented from Fig. 3 to Fig. 6 inclusive, are accomplished. Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section of the multiple plunger, of the m1 ltiple die of the second press by 150 which the transformations of Figs. 7 and 8- are accomplished. Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section of themultiple plunger-of the multiple die of the third press by which the. transformations of Figs. 9 and 10'are'accomplished. Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sec-' tion of the die and plungers shown in Pete nt No. 961,128 of the fourth press by. which pli'shed. Figs. 16, 17, and18, show the progress of the article in the first press through two successive matrices and the intervening space. The machinesby which thearticle is sqtiared and staggered may be of the same construction and operation asmachines heretofore in useyin the manufacture of welded seam headers and, therefore, do not require particular representationor description herein. 4

My process may be described as follows: I startwith a circular steel disk 1}- inch in thickness. and 54; inches in diameter and throughout all the changes of form represented from Figs. 3 to 11 :inclusive, this thickness remains substantially constant.. This disk is composed of what is known commercially as a Hanging quality of open hearth steel plate. This diskis firstheated in a gas furnace to a uniforintemperature, of about 2200 F. at which temperature it is introduced into and passed through the multiple dies shown in Figs. 16, 17 and 18, occupying about seconds in its passage. It is then reheated to a uniform temperature of about 2200 F. in the gas furnace and introduced into, and passed through the two dies of the second press by the multiple plunger shown in Fig. 13, occupying about 4:3"seoonds in its passage.

heated in the gas furnace to a uniform temperature of about 2200 F. and introduced into and passed through the two dies of the third press by the multiple plunger shown in Fig. .14, occupying about 35 seconds in its passage, It is then reheated to about 2900 F. and passed through the die shown in the transformation of Fig. '11 is accom- It is then're Fig. occupying about seconds in its passage. The dies areiall set in vertical position and the article passes upward .through them and during its passa e through each" set of the dies a stream of co d Water is kept playing onto the closed end of the article to prevent the endbeing punched out by the pressure of the plunger. As the article is forced through each matrix of the dies it has passed substantially 'out of control of the preceding matrix; The action in each matrix is essentially a; transforming action as distinguished from a thinningac- Q tionfandthe intention is'that the space he tween matrix and plunger shall be adapted x to produce the reduction in diameter without any such thinning of the metal as occurs in drawing operationswhere the thinning of the metal 18 depended on for producing .the transformation. If the thrust ofthe 'plunger acts to thin the closed end at all, it

is so slight as to be immaterial. The reduc A tron in diameter-and elongation throughout the series of passes is' so gradual 'that, at the heat specified, the transformation is accomplished without. substantial 'fluting or other deformation of the cylindrical form of the side walls of the article. I give the fol- I, lowing as a concrete example of the series of degrees of reduction by which I have accomplished this result. Starting with a disk of the dimensions and material above named and employing the temperatures above men- '-;tioned, the external diameter and length produced by each press was approximately I as follows: As it leaves Ithcfirst press, diameter 30 inches, length 20.inches; as it leaves length "the second pressfidiametr 18' inches, length 39 inches; as it leaves the third press, die-- meter 10% inches length 71 inches? as it leavesthe fourth press, diameter 8 inches,

91 inches. These length measurementsare exclusive of the irregular portion .ofthe metal atithe rear' end. The article shown in Fig. 11 isnext reheated to about 2200 and by #0115 its side walls are pressed into-paral ielo ram form while containing a mandrel. bile still hot, the side walls .are'pressed'in a suitable press into mandrel.

walls are bored. It is then heated to about sinuous form while containing a sectional It is. then cooled and the side 22001. and the hand holes areflan'gcd by a machine-known in the art. Theopen end of the article is next reheated to about 2000 F. and contracted by pressure till it is of the form shown in Fig. 2. The article is now complete and constitutes, as a new article of manufacture, a water-tube boiler header,

clusive may be described as follows: a is the matrix-,d. d

the matrix d. The disk being-placed on the.

second matrixlwhich is cylindrical and ap' prpximately the diameter of the matrix a.

e is the second clearance space somewhat larger in diameter than the matrix d and longer than the length of article produced by is a plunger cooperating with plunger. 0., as shown in Fig. 16, is forced by these conditions andat the heat prescribed and with an angle not exceeding about 15, the. diameter of the article maybe reduced without substantially-tinting the side wallor flange thereof. It isthen forced by the plunger of through the ma'trix'd into the clearance space 'e and in doing so is made cylindrical. It next receives its third reduction in diameter in the taperingsp'acef and matrix '9 through which. it is orced by the plunger g,- the plunger d havin come to .that plunger through the matrix a into the.

rest in the clearance space e. T e presses after the first require the modifications shown in the construction of theplungers, because of the length that the article has attained. In the second press the plunger h forces the article-through a tapering space. (15 degrees to the vertical) and through a matrix into a clearance space; then plunger 2' forces it through another tapering space of similar an 10 and through a second matrix. In the iird ress', the plunger j (Fig. 14') forces the artic 0 through a tapering space Lof similar angle. and through a matrix int a clearance space; thence plunger In .forces it through another tapering space of similar angle and through a second matrix. In'the fourth ress 'plun? ger '1 (F i g.;15)- forces the artic e through the ta "pace I of similar angle and through th tri'xjfifi V Y a;

The act: time of each plunger ,is

made, as shown Figs as to be colla ,b the withdrawal of the article fr m it an these withdrawals are accomplis ed theclearance spaces where- 12, 13, 14 and 16,430

in each succeeding plunger, shoving against the head of the article, shoves the article ofi of the plunger previously in action.

The less than 25 angularity of the clearance and reduction spaces interposed between the successive matrices, and the limitation of the temperature to a red heat below welding produces the conditions whereby the metal is given adequate freedom of flow to permit of its transformation without rupture or fatal fluting. These spaces serve as spaces for the reduction of the head and as clearances for the flange. The clearance and angle in these reduction spaces afford the freedom and graduation whereby the enormous flow, backward and inward, of the thick refractory metal is attained without undue violence or strain.

Understanding my invention to be of great value and road novelty, I do not wish to be understood as limited to details.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of forming a boiler header which consists in subjecting a wrought metal plate of substantially the thickness of the metal of the header to successive transformations of the flan e from a substantial cylinder to a cone 0 less than 25, and then to a cylinder, while at a red heat substantially below welding heat, whereby the metal is permitted adequate freedom of flow.

2. The process of forming a boiler header which consists in subjecting a wrought metal .der to a cone and then to plate of substantially the thickness of the metal of the header to successive transformations of the flange while unconfined, from a substantial cylinder to a cone of lesslthah 25, and then to a cylinder, while at a red heat substantially below welding heat, whereby the metal is permitted adequate freedom of flow.

3. vThe process of forming a boiler header which consists in subjecting a wrought metal plate of substantially the thickness ,of the metal of the header to successive transformations of the fian e from a substantial cylina cylinder, in dies having a conical clearance and reduction space of not more than 25 angularity, while at ared heat below welding heat, whereby itlhe metal is permitted adequate freedom of ow. I e

4. The process of forming a boiler'header which consists in transforming a wrought metal plate by a series of substantially nonthinning operations into a closed end tube without seam or weld,- heating theblank between each 0 eration of the series, cooling the closed end while the blank is being operated upon, and finally shaping the blank into header form.

' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CAMPBELL P. HIGGINS. Vitnesses:

AUcUsr G. PRATT, ALBERT H. IRELAND. 

